Category: Writings

In 1989, The Taos News asked residents to predict what Taos would be like 20 years into the future. Nearly three decades later, I asked them how it all turned out—and what they now hope for in the years to come. What emerges is a startling portrait of a community’s transformation over the years, and a new vision of what may be on the way.

The Avengers: Infinity War is projected to gross $240 million nationwide its opening weekend, making for the second U.S. highest box office debut in history.

As such, it’s the movie that everyone is talking about—and so I’ve added my voice to the mix. Critics don’t always write from a screenwriting perspective, and so my take considers the storytelling challenges of a film that boasts more than 40 recognizable characters.

Westworld, HBO’s sci-fi Western TV series, returns for a second season on Sunday, April 22. But Westworld has a particular problem among television dramas—the first season was structured like a puzzle box—and the same format might not be as effective the second time around.

In anticipation of the season premier, my latest post on Medium explores the storytelling choices showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy may have had to consider while writing the second season.

In doing so, I’m not trying to preemptively critique Nolan and Joy’s storytelling decisions. I’m merely laying out the storytelling challenge of Westworld to appreciate the difficult job such storytellers have. As one of my writing friends has stated—if this job was easy, then everyone would be doing it.

For the longest time, going to the movies was a warped retelling of the American dream. It was a meritocratic space that rewarded the rugged, the prepared — those who got there early and, setting down their windbreakers, established their own claims on the territory.

But the way we watch movies is changing. It not only affects how we experience storytelling, but it also changes what stories are produced. It even changes how we behave at the movies—and in the world at large.

And now, you can also listen to it (if you’re a Medium member)! The Medium editors recently selected the story for transformation into an audio story, and you can listen to the audio version of the story — read by a professional voice actor — on the article page.

Last week, my Medium post, “The Last Jedi’s snark problem” was featured as a “Staff pick” on the Medium homepage, after which it garnered a lot of traffic on the publishing site.

Screenshot January 8, 2018, Medium.com

In a further honor, Medium editors subsequently selected the essay to be read out loud and recorded for an audio version, featuring the voice of professional actor. Should you have the time or interest, it’s quite the listen!

If you are a Medium payingmember, you can listen to the audio version on the article page. Unfortunately, unless you sign up for a Medium subscription, you won’t be able to listen to it. But never fear — you can always still read the article the old-fashioned way!

The year 2017 was a roller coaster—but at the very least, many great TV shows came out. On Medium, you can read a listicle of my five favorites from 2017—featuring popes, killers, and the delayed reprise of Dale Cooper!